Vancouver police are warning local drug users after two people died alone from injecting what investigators believe was heroin.
VPD media relations officer Randy Fincham confirmed to Global News the first death took place on Saturday night in the 4400-block of Boundary Road.
“It was a 39-year-old man that we believe overdosed from taking heroin intravenously.”
The most recent incident took place this morning in an apartment in the 1100-block of Haro Street.
Fincham says a 15-year-old girl is believed to have taken heroin intravenously as well.
“Both of these deaths — we believe that the people were alone when they took heroin,” says Fincham. “It was not till some time later that someone checked on them and found that they were deceased.”
Ficham says there is no official confirmation that the drug was in fact heroin, and they won’t have any analysis back that quickly.
“Our concern is that if there is a bad batch of heroin going around, our goal is to prevent another loss of life. So that is why we would send something like this out before our analysis comes back and determines exactly what it is.”
A number of local agencies, including Vancouver Coastal Health, local police agencies and B.C. Ambulance have also been alerted about the incidents.
Meanwhile, drug users are being advised to use the services of supervised injection site INSITE, where medical personnel can intervene in case of an overdose.
Police are are reminding drug users to immediately seek medical attention if they don’t feel well after use, and asking anyone who sees someone in medical distress to call 9-1-1.
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